Counting Stars On A Ceiling
by intersects
Summary: Jules/Sam drabbles and ficlets for each episode of the series. Latest chapter: 1.06 Attention Shoppers. Work-in-progress!
1. so dose me up, once is not enough

**Author's Notes: **_Counting Stars On A Ceiling_ is inspired by hyacinthian's _play it, sam but i forget how it goes_, which is a series of drabbles for each episode of _How I Met Your Mother_. What's happening here is I'm going to write a drabble, or a ficlet (depending on how much the episode allows me to play with) for each episode that's aired so far right now, and continuing on when the series return on screen.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Flashpoint._  
**Pairing/Character: **Jules, Sam

C. 2008-2009/disparate

* * *

**so dose me up, once is not enough**  
_1x01: Scorpio_

--_  
_

"Is it Julie?" he asked when Jules was just listening to the chatter around the table but not actively participating, and she turned to look at him, brows furrowed, hand hovering in midair waiting to reach out for her beer bottle.

"What?"

"Jules. Is it short of Julie, then? Since it's not Julia…" the sandy-haired guy shrugged, and she actually started chuckling a little, tipping the beer into her mouth as she swallowed. She cocked her head towards him and gave him a little smirk.

"A name's a name. You call me Jules. Nothing more, nothing less." She liked systematic, liked simplicity and going by a nickname fulfilled those needs. And considering that this Sam guy's first words to her were, at best, objectifying, she wasn't sure how to take his abrasive attitude, but she knew she would figure it out sooner or later. She had gotten used to people telling her that lady snipers are sexy, but that didn't mean that she remotely liked the comment when it came. His over-compensating act of friendliness will soon run its course, Jules predicted, but she decided to humour him for the time being.

"Is Sam short for Samuel or Samson? Or is it just Sam?"

He looked taken aback before a smile broke out on his face. "It's just Sam." A beat, then he continued. "Juliet?"

"Well, you're not getting warmer," was the response. He let out a soft laugh and shook his head, clearly intrigued by her enigma. He wasn't kidding when he said he thought sniper chicks were sexy – but add an exciting personality along the pretty face like Jules and he could see themselves having lots of fun in the future, platonic at the very least.

"Julianne?"

She gave him a mystifying smile and shook her head again to indicate that it was _still_ a wrong answer. At the back of her head, she was amused that he had managed to sprout out so many variations of her name, and yet couldn't hit the bullseye.

"That," she finally decided to say. "Is for me to know and for you to find out." He stuck his bottom lip out subconsciously in an adorable pout, not even really realising he was doing that, but held his hands up, in a show of mock-surrender as they submerged themselves back in the group conversation. The night ended while it was still young, and the team headed to their respective ways back home. Jules' house was still in a mess from doing the renovations on her own, but it was still new and it was _hers_, and she was proud of that. Not feeling tired at all despite the day's happenings; she decided to clean up the windows, just to make the view clearer at the very least.

Her phone vibrated against the table, making a rattling sound.

_I got your number from Spike… Julianna. I'll see you around HQ tomorrow. Yours, S._

She smiled, set her phone down again and continued scraping the paint off her window.

* * *


	2. dancing through the underground

**dancing through the underground**_  
1x02: First In Line_

--

She's rightly impressed with his precision and skill with the gun, even though she hadn't been expecting any less from any member of the SRU.

Breaking in the rookie and attempting to scare the shit out of them is something she enjoys so much and in her very indignant opinion, ought to happen more often. When he emerges from the room and tosses the night-vision goggles and ear protection muffs back to her, she catches them with ease.

Looking her straight in the eye, and without as much a pause, he asks. "So? Whaddya think?"

He's dangerously close to her and she gives him a side-glance before stepping away in the guise of flicking the controls off.

"Good. But I'm better."

"Oh yeah? We'll see. I'll learn how to control the three-sixty simulation, and then I'll take you on. Same rules."

"That a challenge?" Her voice hitches as she looks at him expectantly. He breaks out into a grin.

"I believe that's my extension of one, Constable Callaghan."

She ignores the fluttering feeling in her stomach.

* * *


	3. it’s come to this, release me

**it's come to this, release me**_  
1x03: Element of Surprise_

--

All through the ride back to the headquarters, she sees that the usual happy masks that Sam puts on aren't intact, and that by itself is just a big blaring alarm that has left a frown on her features.

So she goes above and beyond her care of duty. (As a friend, it always is as a friend for her.) She knows him well and long enough now to know when something's bothering him, especially if the number of minutes she has to wait for him to emerge from the lockers is any indication.

Her fingers drum against the shoulder strap; it's just something she _has_ to do. Keeping her fingers occupied with an activity keeps her mind clear, her energies focused. She senses him before he even makes as much as a sound, and she turns her head slightly to him when he walks up the stairs.

He's surprised to see her standing there.

She's (maybe not so) surprised at herself for being there.

Putting on a small, tight smile for her, he doesn't act like her sudden appearance surprises him as they walk in stride towards the car park, although he's puzzled. Not that it's the most pressing issue of the moment for him. Not when he hasn't gotten out of his mind frame of that day in Afghanistan, not when he can feel the invisible wall coming on stronger than it's ever been raised when Ed has pushed him to his limits earlier.

"Burritos. A couple cans of beer," her voice rings out as he shakes himself loose from his thoughts. It's joined with a shrug and a tug of a smile on her face, and in that instance he thinks, maybe, just maybe, that's enough to tear the wall down.

He allows a real smile on his face (for her).

* * *


	4. making our days steadfast in the skyward

**making our days steadfast in the skyward mile**  
_1x04: Asking for Flowers_

--

As far as days go, Sam's filing today under A Pretty Excellent Day, despite all the swimming he had to do. The bad guy's captured, the woman's not gonna wake up in the morning fearful of what the day holds and – he's sitting here, at the back of the jeep, drinking a hot, delicious cup of coffee with Jules.

"My oldest brother would throw me into the ocean, when we were younger. That's how I learned how to swim," she's saying now, and he can't get the image of a young Jules out of his head.

(_Pull it together, Braddock._)

_Wet t-shirt clung to –_

"Really? Nice. If anybody were to throw me into anything when I was young, it's probably some quicksand," he says, a little too abruptly.

She's chuckling lightly again and he grins the little lop-sided smile that his friend calls the gotcha smile. Taking a sip out of the coffee cup, he gives her a sideways glance, after the giggling has subsided. She notices (_of course_ she notices) and frowns, wondering self-consciously if she's got coffee stains all over her face or something.

"What?"

"To Team One," he smirks, holding the cup up in a toast. "To us."

She throws him a weird look but clinks his cup (as much as paper cups can) anyway.

* * *


	5. even at our swiftest speed

**even at our swiftest speed**_  
1x05: Who's George_

_--_

She can sense his frustration a mile away; she's always been a good people-reader and Sam isn't really an exception, even if she knows he thinks that he isn't easy to read.

(He's not what he thinks he is, really.)

The truth is, she knows exactly what he's going through. She has been through the cycle before too; the similarities and parallels from when she joined the SRU are almost too hard to miss. Adapting to a new scope of work isn't easy, she knows.

Sure, there's still the guns and there's still adrenaline coursing through the veins, but now there's the whole factor of being acutely aware of your surroundings and being hyper-sensitive with connecting with people. Suddenly the balance's disrupted and what used to be black and white is now grey with lots of colors thrown in for good measure, and it's hard to differentiate what used to be easy.

She waits for Sarge to exit the briefing room before she slips in without a sound. It almost startles him as he leafs through the manual for the umpteenth time, feeling quiet despair sinking in because he _knows_ he's doing everything by the book but he just can't connect on the level that the job requires him to.

"You just need some time," she starts, and he tries to hide his inward groan when she adds, "I know you can do it."

The sincerity in her voice makes him think that maybe, just maybe, it doesn't look so bleak afterall.

* * *


	6. so keep it steady, now

**so keep it steady, now** **(300 w.)**  
1x06: Attention Shoppers

--

She can't turn her head enough to see the bruising clearly, but she knows it's there (and it hurts like a bitch, and she's not going to accidentally lean against a wall and then take a sharp inhale of breath after, and she's not going to think about double bacon burgers just because Sam thinks it looks like it) – in the midst of her jumbled thoughts she realizes that her phone's ringing for the second time now, and 'SCOTT' seems to jump out from the screen. She doesn't pick up; doesn't know what to say anyway.

She's already changed back into her regular clothes by the time it stops ringing and vibrating against the table; the soft fabric of her blouse rubbing across her raw skin and she winces inwardly. Giving her table an once-over, she strides out with a bounce in her steps.

When the sunlight streams in and she spots Wordy's mini-van parked at the side, her eyes stray over to where Sam is standing: he's leaning against the front of the vehicle, and staring intently at the exit (and she thinks that maybe he's willing her to appear, but then she rolls her eyes at herself for thinking too much into it). Tearing her eyes away from his gaze, Jules pretends to admire the scenery in the opposite direction as she walks towards the car.

"Hello, boys," she calls out, and then hops in the passenger seat, Ed's protests falling on her ears as she smirks, but crosses the seatbelt over her body anyway (and then cursing as she accidentally leans against the seat). The phone vibrates again and she knows she has to 'We Have To Talk' Scott soon but for now, she's going to enjoy breakfast with her friends. Her family.

Other things can wait.

* * *


End file.
